Weather coming up and for today

The week ahead is looking mainly settled for most of New Zealand with plenty of high pressure in the picture. A weak front pushes over the South Island during Wednesday then the North Island later on Wednesday and into Thursday bringing some cloud and a light shower or two, nothing all that serious. More than likely it will be welcome bringing some cooler weather for a time especially to eastern regions.

Expect a mix of sun and cloud for the western North Island today and perhaps the low risk of a shower, mostly sunny and hot in the east with high cloud. The South Island has some cloud in the west bringing the risk of a light shower or two, a mix of sun and cloud elsewhere with the chance of an isolated shower for inland hills and ranges this afternoon / evening.

Tropical cyclone still to form to our north

A tropical low may have formed into a tropical cyclone as this story comes to publication to our north between Vanuatu and Fiji. As in yesterday’s story it doesn’t look to affect New Zealand much but in long range models it may brush past northeastern parts of New Zealand some time between the 16th to 18th January, something to keep an eye on although this situation may change and is not locked in.

Precipitation – Departure from normal

The outlook through to the 17th January as can be seen in the below map is drier than normal for New Zealand. Perhaps a sign of slightly wetter conditions can be seen for the eastern North Island due to the possibility of a tropical low brushing the area on the 17th January as mentioned above.